Page 37 of A Cowboy Home for Christmas
“They’ll never lose me.” He says it so gruff and stern, I know it’s true. I know he’d set aside our differences to be there for his nieces.
“What about me? I don’t know if I can handle another broken relationship with a Bennett? What if we screw it up?”
“What if we don’t screw it up?”
“It’s not guaranteed.”
“Nothing in life is guaranteed, but I promise, what we have between us, I’m not going anywhere. I’m not leaving the girls. I’m not leaving you.”
“What if you grow to hate me?”
“Wouldn’t happen.”
A breeze rustles the branches like a nudge urging me to confide all my fears in him. All the ones I carry deep, deep down.
“Barker, what if you grow tired of me? Realize you don’t actually love me, but by then you’re already stuck in a marriage with kids and all you want is out. What if you get to a point where ...” I pause, my heart shattering inside my chest. “... where you find what you’re looking for outside of our marriage. And I’m just there. Hollow inside. Broken. But obligated. Pathetic. But -“
“Strong.” Barker cups my face. “You are the strongest person I’ve ever meant. And your love is fierce.” The pad of his thumb rubs over my lower lip. “I’m not him, Lauren. Don’t compare me to him. Compare me to the man who’s been there all these years.”
“I can’t when you’re touching me. When you’re this close. I just want you to kiss me.”
“I want to kiss you too, but I want you to be ready. And whatever we decide, we can take it slow. Not tell the girls until we’re sure. Whether that be a few months or a few years. Not until they’re ready. Until you’re ready.” He takes a large step back. Then another. “I’ll say it again. I’m not him, Lauren. Don’t compare me to him. Compare me to the man who’s been there all these years.”
His touch still lingers on my face. The promise of his kiss warm my mouth.
My gaze sweeps down to the dirt, stones, and twigs at my feet. I focus on a twisted branch and take a deep breath.
He’s not his brother. I know that. I’ve always known that. They might’ve toured the circuit together. The famous Bennett rodeo brothers. They may have had a solid brotherly relationship, but they are two entirely different people. I never loved Gunnar the way I’ve fallen in love with Barker. And Gunnar never looked at me - not once - the way Barker does every single day. Gunnar and I were two people who’d fallen into circumstances and ended up in a loveless marriage. Barker and I are two people who found each other under impossible circumstances. Circumstances that have changed. And I’m ready to change with them.
I cross the space between us. My fingers tighten around the front of his shirt and I yank him down. Our mouths crash together. Our teeth click. We both stumble. But Barker is there to catch us, to catch me, just like he always has.
“I love kissing you,” he growls.
He lifts me up and presses his erection against the center of my legs. He takes a few large steps and pins me to a tree. His lips are smooth, but hard. His tongue rough. The perfect combination of raw desire and tenderness.
His tongue blazes a trail down my collarbone lighting my skin on fire. He takes time with it, licking and biting, as if we’re not in public and anyone could walk by.
“You smell fucking delicious.” He undoes the buttons of my dress. His hands slide under my bra and find my breasts. He palms them both. He thumbs my aching and tight nipples and sends a horn of want through me.
So hard.
So fast.
I’m burning up inside.
His mouth is on mine again. His tongue brushes mine in long, slow, and deep strokes. He leaves me breathless. His lips make their way to my breasts. Only when his hot wet mouth covers my breast, I realize he’s unclipped my bra.
He hand slips under my skirt and over my damp panties. I moan. His fingers dip under the material and finds my sensitive skin.
My eyes roll to the back of my head falls back against the tree. I don’t know if it’s him or the fact we’re in a public place, but I’m turned on as hell. My core throbs painfully good.
I am wet.
So wet.
Hot and wet, and my release in already on the edge.
My hand finds his denim clad cocks and I rub the length of him.
